Minna no Nihongo Elementary Japanese Level1 Main Textbook [Second Edition]

Softbound. It also comes with a CD with 72 minutes worth of audio material. I like that the pages are cream-colored because they're easier on my eyes. The prints are clear too, I just wish that the fonts were a bit bigger. The book's paper is more on the semi-translucent side, but if you're not picky about that then this book should be okay. I also like the bright yellow map on the front and back inside cover, but I'm not sure how I'm going to protect this book now because the jacket overlaps with the map, and if I place plastic cover on it, I won't see a huge part of the map anymore. In terms of studying, all lessons are in Japanese, so you'll need knowledge in kana and maybe even basic kanji before starting with this book. Lesson 1 already has kanji in it. It can feel overwhelming if you're not familiar with kana and kanji. It would be best if you have a teacher while studying this, but doing this on your own is fine as long as you have the time to put in the hard work. I think it would be best to get the companion translation and grammar notes book if you're studying on your own though. A translation software can only get you so far when it comes to understanding the lessons.

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